HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 549, 2 July 1909, Page 3

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

(By-Our,Special Reporter)

TRAMWAY\;BbARD., Last night's 1 meeting .'of tk'ejvHu'tt'-;.'Valley Tramway -Board : wn6' attended by Messrs. J. \{. M^Ewan'(chairman); J. ■•Austin'r.E. J.>' Southgate, H. Fin'dlay,iaid;;H:'.;Bald)yin,-;!':■ ./■'. '. '.-. Mr. A." 1 engineer,/ was in attendance to 'discuss matters*arisirig out of his -report with members"ortneV*board. The chairman remarked that the members'had looked into the report,.'and Mr. -'King.- would 'reply.; to ; questions which ■he had been, asked. \ i'nei' engineer,', speaking. r ;with : , reference questions, eaid that,:as-tp an electrical scheme; fie. submitted the following particulars :—With; regard to eliminating the lighting portion of the .electrical scheme, the total cost of.the larger .irould.;'be- i£95,917. '-, The';annual .cofet ;:was :':'Eunning. costs, '~£5310 ; depreciation, maintenance repairs; "3 per- cent.,''.,£2BSp; sinking: fund,' IV per. cent., •, X1U0 ; 'interest, , 4J Iper, cent, £4320; power-house costs, wages, etc.'. £Ul6y- total,, =£15,420;* revenue tramway only, ,£10,500; loss for first year/ £4920. This was\equal to .-a;'rate, of ..G5 ofa penny,;in the £'. (For the smaller scheme, the .cost "would be 458,545. Running costs would amount ; to £10,791, which, with the .estimated revenue! of .£7OOO, would leave a debit-balance' of J53791; equal\ to a ..Jd. rate..- The-, difference -in; his estimated cost' ( of the "power-house was due to the 'fdtt ■'•thati; for; the; smaller; .route 'smaller and'?■ cheaperv."generators, -and, ,consequently, smallefj- and 'cheaper.'engines, would.- suffice. He considered that he was oh the safe side to' the extint of 5 per cent, all round. It might be possible tp. put down a, 'system-for £50,000, but it yould be a tight fitj and. he should prefer to place the cost: at ; between jE55,000 and . ••." ■;'.'• "- -■" •'; --; ■ ■:.. ■ Discussion on the whole.matter.toot place in committee,: but ..-nothing (lefiriite was done, as two. members, -were absent.".- ': V A- ■ ;;:'-; : Itoung;men ; s w cltjb.;: ; •-.■; ' ; VThe half-yearly, meeting of-the St. 'Augustine's Young Men's Club, was held last night, the Rev. .J.'jD. .Russell presiding. - The annual report and balance-sheet disclosed a healthj' state of affairs, and a" credit balance of Jts 2s. 10d. '.Tho membership now stands'at 401; ; ."' ' -, '■■;.'■;;."'.; ■'■;: Officers were-elected as follow:— President, Rov. J. D. Russell; .vice-presidents,: Messrs. J. Lee and 1?. ,AJ Mason j.secretaryiand treasurer, Mr. A. E...Pattinsonj assistant secretary, Mr. A. Bennett;' management committee, Messi's. R. -Southgate, Marsden, P. Hill, and A. Packard; librarian, Mr. A. Dowsett. ■'. ' ■■■' '■"-:■ \ ■ -', ' ; ■ ■ ; ■ -. ■■' ' ■,'.: ■■;,-:;■. : \ JOTTINGS.; -\ ""■'" ' ;: ', ''. .',.'-' : The professional footballers leave Sydney on Wednesday next 'i.for Auckland. ; They should thus arrive' od too afternoon of Monday.-week. The : team;would have left on. the previous Saturday for Wellington direct,, but they: could not arrange '-for the steamer to wait. '/ .•The newly-erected Bank: of' New Zealand, av Petone was opened;yesterday morning for the transaction of bn6in,ess. .The manager, Mr."S. C. Barrand, who is'retiring, will not leave for a week or two. His successor is Miv.J. M. Dawson. ■'"■ ._'' ', '. ' ■•■'■■'■..' ' '■' A proposal is afootito insthl electric lighting up the Korp ICoro, and Messrs. 'J, Dawson and Co., electricians,, have. been . asked to . fnrnish a quotation. . '. ' . . -. :- •WHITEMAN'S VALLEY SETTLERS ;, ■:/■"/ ./INDIGJf A NT. ,-;.■•■ ,-. : : ' ; . A -correspondent Vrites: —It -is ] : the general impression of ..city dwellers that all the complaints anent bad; roads'.come from the far inland parts of Taranaki and other distant-parts. However, it happens - that within twenty miles of Wellington, and after ■ nearly" half a-century of'settlement, that the settlers of :\VliiteHian's Valley ure compelled to uplift ■'their voices against the ,Hutt, County' Council's treatment of thenr in the. matter of "high rates and bad roads." Witbjn a mile and a half of the Whitman's Valley school-.thore.are.no.fewer thau ninesbparators, , and the : traffic in milk alobe is coniiiderablo yet the county! heavy increased taxation on previous year) lias -allowed the road to fall; into, litter disrepair, regardless ofi'protest by the,settlers, who no.w.'dcmand some attention being paid : to' their raiucst,- which, in the following • words, comes up • for considei'a'tion at the next County Council meeting:—

■ '•-.To'the-.chairman' and: members-of. the Hutt County ' .;.Co.uttoU,~-E* , AVuiteman f »■;-. Valley,

Road.—Wβ' wish ;to call ■ your immediate and urgent attention to the very unsatisfactory and dangerous condition'.in which this road has teen, left byyour workmen, and to request that'steps.be at: once taken to have'it put intb proper order' and safe for traffic That, which we particularly complain of. may be set out-as under, viz.:—(1) The metal has not beei: broken Ho anything like a proper gauge,' there being stones ;of. enormous size (7in. and Bin. ! across may be frequently measured) left-on the'., surface; (2) the'.width of .metalling is, in ■places'barely sufficient to' take the wheels.of a vehicle; (3) water tables require to be formed in many places, and: in others'.to be cleared, for/.it must. be manifest to you, that..where :w.ater is allowed to,stand on the;'sides, of the road, nearly up to the level of the formation, the foundation must become. thoroughly saturated, and useless: for carrying any load. , The cost, of properly completing this.work cannot amount to s verj-:much, , and we submit that the truest'economy would be exercised'.by you in having, it ■ so completed.' We pay in this district, and have.for many years paid, very considerable sums in rates, and we think we are .entitled to have this money, or the greater part of it, "expended in : giving, us reasonable access'to our. holdings; / It is almost incqni ceivable that' your , responsible, officer can have' i seen, and passed work of this description, but,if not, we request'that he shall be'instructed to at once have it inspected, and that'he should also: be ' authorised to•'• expend such money as may be iiecessarj to properly finish the work.. Wβ desire, in the-first instance, to make this reasonable representation to you; and wo shoukUmuch regret being compelled to tako proceedings under the provisions of ■ Section 1155 (1) of the Counties Act, 1908.;' ;

Here fallow the names of-some fifteen set.tlers, .representing ecventy children alone., of school age, over,.and under. .